A Fangirl's Crack'd Afterlife
by werewolfbleu
Summary: Riley is bored to death with life. But despite her bleak outlook, this Southern firecracker has a bullet-proof soul, too bad the same can't be said about her body. Waking from death into a life she'd only fantasized about through fanfiction, you know, minus the evil scientists, Riley discovers her own ridiculous romance story. Best of all he's taller than her! Yautja/Human pairing
1. Chapter 1

**Buddha is a Bitch**

Life blows then you die. Or at least, that's what I believed up until the day I pissed Buddha off. Never did believe all that love and peace bullpucky. Turns out, Buddha is every bit as depraved as the rest of us... and god damn had I known, I would've gone out of my way a long time ago to infuriate the big guy...

...

"Are you a goth?"

My eyebrows stitched together as I peered over my laptop at the little asstard who'd spoken. Behind the counter stood a chubby nine or ten-year-old with a freaking bush of curly red hair, and a gap between his front teeth so wide he could probably shoot chocolate milk through them like a champ.

I rolled my eyes, it wasn't like he was the first person to ask that question, but it was still annoying as all hell. Favoring black scale fatigue cargos, and a black tank didn't automatically paint me as a _goth,_ however, coupled with black heavy steel-toed boots, and of course, black hair, did.

I wasn't goth, goddammit. I just liked black. Seriously, why the hell did everything have to have a fucking label?

Ignoring the spawn of Carrot Top, I went back to fiddling with my story. To my annoyance though, the kid's intrusion killed the vibe I'd been working with, and I closed the document and opened the browser to FanFiction.

Surreptitiously, I eyed the red-head as he waddled away, then checked to make sure I was at an angle where no one could read the screen. It was just too weird. I loved me some fanfiction, but _god_ - _almighty_ , what I really loved was the ridiculous romance. And some of my favorites involved kickass human women and Predators. Yup, I was one of _those_ fans. Like I said, weird, but I had to keep reading it. It was the best and the worst kind of addiction. The one that physically did no harm but you could never kick the dirty habit because it was that damn good. I'd even written a few of my own but was too chicken to post them. Not because I was embarrassed about the steamy contents or anything, it's not like anyone would really know who I was, but because I didn't want anyone to know what an illiterate idgit I was.

I sighed, and once again, put myself in place of the main character. Daydreaming that these adventures were mine and that I was the cool chic kicking ass along side a badass Yautja.

Yautja is the Predators species name. Yeah, I know, nerd right here, yo!

My mind was thoroughly engrossed in carnage and lust as the Yautja gave a primal roar and claimed his mate right on top of the twisted scientists' bodies when a tuft of orange appeared in my periphery like an annoying zit that just wouldn't go the fuck away.

 _I wonder if the roach spray under the counter would work... Oh, right, good idea there Riley, then watch your ass get tossed right back in jail._

Still, the image of me spraying this kid and watching him scramble around like a cockroach when the lights get flicked on surfaced in my head, and I found myself fighting a grin.

"Can I buy these?"

I glanced at the assortment of video games in his chubby hands, noticing leftovers of something that was cringe-worthy brown crammed under his nail bed and felt my brows climbing into my hairline at the titles. The Carrot Top spawn held a copy of _The Suffering, Parasite Eve, Resident Evil,_ and _Silent Hill_.

 _Geez, kid, demented much?_

I'll admit I enjoy a good horror game every now and again, but I was also twenty-five, an adult (on most days), and even though I understood what I was playing wasn't real, it still gave me nightmares. This kid's voice was my-balls-haven't-dropped-yet squeaky, and he expected me to sell him seventeen-plus age rated games? I had some pretty interesting tattoos on my body, but there was nothin' tattooed on my forehead that claimed me as an idiot.

In one smooth motion, I straightened and snatched the games from him, inwardly grossed out when my thumb touched something sticky. "No," I said and set the games aside. I'd taken them 'cause the last thing I wanted was this kid stealing them or throwing them in a tantrum. And the reddish hue of his cheeks warned me of said impending tantrum. "You're too young, kid. Go grab a Pokemon game or something."

The little orange troll stamped a foot, "I want those games! Give them to me, stupid!"

I scowled and looked around for anyone that might be this brats' mom. The _GameOn_ shop wasn't very big, but I didn't spy anyone ducking my gaze or acting embarrassed because they sure as hell should be if this was their child. Fuck, maybe she ditched him. I would've.

"Stupid, freak," he kicked the service desk. His face flushed with way too much anger for a kid his age. "Give them back you, bitch!"

Wow, I suddenly had a new appreciation for birth control.

I felt a flush of my own creep up my neck, but before I could blow this kid's mind with a vocabulary capable of making a Marine blush, a stocky woman in way too much fucking purple spandex came out of the bathroom, took in the situation at a glance and stabbed me with an outraged glare. Needless to say, I was shocked when she sashayed over with a bitch-I-know-your-trashy-goth-ass-ain't-yelling-at-my-son expression.

"Percivale, what's going on?"

 _Percivale...? Okay, that explains a lot._

Percivale's beady eyes stared up at me and the brat gave me a secretive, way too smug shit-eating grin for my benefit which quickly turned into a look of pure child-like innocence as he looked forlornly at his mother. The switch had been so fast that I blinked and wondered if I'd imagined the whole smug grin thing until the kid opened his mouth.

"The mean lady took my games," he said, eyes shining and lip quivering. "She said a fat kid like me needs to be outside."

My mind reeled at his words.

 _Holy shit is this actually happening right now?!_

Anyone and everyone who's ever worked in retail has dealt with shitty customers at one time or another. But this? This was the kind of shit I thought people made up so that their job sounded the crappiest.

Too stupid to realize she was being played by her little hell goblin, the woman straightened and sized me up. I scowled and crossed my arms over my chest. She could puff out her fake balloon tits all she wanted, I wasn't intimidated. The woman was heavier than me by a good fifty pounds, but at 5'11" I was a good head and a half taller. I was also strong. People often pull that bullshit line about being raised on the wrong side of the tracks, to which I always respond with a humorless bark of laughter. Those people are posers who just want others to _think_ they're tough. The ones' who survive being raised on the wrong side of the tracks don't wear it as a statement, we'll just simply kick your ass.

The hell goblin's mom seemed to sense this and looked appropriately abashed when I browbeat her into submission.

"Ma'am, I did not say those things about your son." What I really wanted to say was that your piece of shit son needs therapy or a straight jacket, but I bit my tongue only because this was my store and people were beginning to gawk. I pushed the video games he'd selected in front of her. "These games are rated seventeen and up for a reason."

She looked at the titles then back to me, and I got the horrible sense that she didn't see the problem. The woman flipped her hair with a hand sounding mildly outraged and trying to save face as she spoke.

"They're just video games," she sneered.

 _Wooooow..._

My voice echoed the incredulous tone of my thoughts, "Seriously?!"

She flushed crimson then, and I shit you not, she turned her beaky nose up with a _hrmph,_ grabbed her hell goblin's hand, and stomped out of the store.

 _Mom of the fucking year award right there._

Now I was angry for a completely different reason. The reason that woman didn't see anything wrong with her son's behavior was that she was equally a bratty piece of shit.

Sighing, I closed my laptop with an annoyed snap and accidentally knocked over the little plastic Buddha sitting beside it. Growling and with way more force than necessary I picked up the big guy and straightened him with a slam. The Buddha smiled up at me, cool as a cucumber and I decided that if I was in a shit mood he should be too. With a ridiculous flourish, I scribbled a Frenchy curly mustache on his peaceful expression in Sharpie, the smile playing about my face somewhere between Jaws and Joker manic. I set the Buddha down feeling stupidly pleased with my own shit. But as I stared at the happy chubster, the childish moment passed, and I was still annoyed.

Tugging a hand through my long hair, I did the only thing that would elevate my mood and ordered some Chinese food. I needed succulent carbs to get me out of this miserable funk, and Mr. Hong had the most to die for pot stickers this side of Southern Louisiana.

...

The jingle of the keys and the click of the heavy deadbolts sliding into place as I locked up the store was orgasmic to my ears. With a satisfied sigh, I flipped the closed sign then walked over to the service desk, scooped up my laptop and the remnants of my dinner and headed to the back of the store and up the stairs to my tiny apartment above GameOn.

Once inside, I tossed the leftovers in the fridge, grabbed a beer, and collapsed on the bed with my laptop without even bothering to kick my boots off. I flipped open the computer and dove straight back into the protagonist's kickass life. Why were the heroine's in almost every romance story cute and petite, yet absurdly strong for their size? It didn't make much sense, but then again, maybe I was just a tad jealous because I was tall and a smidge too muscular to be considered sexy. Okay, more than a tad bit jealous. Especially when the heroine's hunky love interested could tower over her and make her feel like this precious thing, whereas I couldn't pull off _precious_ or _cute_ if my life depended on it. Hell, I rarely dated because most guys tended to hate looking _up_ at their dates. And on the rare occasion, I did find someone taller than me, they always wanted the cute dainty girlfriend that I never could be.

 _Whatever._

I read on, completely engrossed as the heroine runs into a burning barn to rescue the Predator that had become trapped within. The saucy little scene after she helps kill a xeno queen was particularly enjoyable.

 _At least someone's getting some..._

...

Somewhere between writing my own story and having a threeway with Ben and Jerry, I dozed off, only to snap upright when my spidey senses bitch slapped me awake. A second later, I heard the unmistakable sound of the downstairs window breaking.

 _Dammit, not again!_

I rolled out of bed and went for the shotgun I kept tucked behind the door. I didn't have an alarm, which is pretty fucking boneheaded in this neighborhood, but I wasn't exactly known for being a pushover, and most people respected a woman who'd shot more than one idiot assailant in the past.

Crouching, I pressed my back against the wall beside the door. If someone were holding a gun on the other side, they wouldn't think to aim below chest level. With gritted teeth, I slowly turned the nob, willing it to be silent. The old hinges gave a defiant creak, and I silently vowed to chop the door into pieces if it didn't shut the fuck up. The sound cut off, and I couldn't help the arrogant smirk that twitched my lips.

No one was on the other side. Dammit, I'd been all sneaky and shit for nothing.

I peered down at the darkened stairwell and felt the first inkling of oh-shit. Adrenaline hammered through my veins, but I kept a tight lid on my nerves. It was probably just another punk kid looking to steal the cash from the register, but the weird thing was, the annoying bell that always dings when the drawer opens, hadn't rung yet. That register wasn't Fort Knox, it could be jimmied open with a butter knife. So either the intruder was extremely stupid or the cash wasn't what interested him or her.

Thinking light weight thoughts, I crept down the stairs wishing for the umpteenth time I could be some slim petite badass 'cause it sure as shit wasn't my boots making the old boards groan.

Finally, at the bottom, I pressed an ear to the door and listened. The game store beyond was quiet and I briefly wondered if the intruder had fled. And yet, I couldn't shake the wrongness I felt swirling in my gut. Or maybe that was the fried food and ice cream.

After waiting and listening for what had to be an eternity, I finally thought _f_ _uck it_ and quietly opened the door. Being courteous, I let the barrel of the shotgun lead the way because really, a lady should go first, and slowly I followed behind and held her butt. Yes, I make jokes when I'm scared. Get over it.

The lights I left on as my _security_ had all been shut off and only the glow of the street lamps outside made it possible to move without being completely blind. Still crouched behind the stairwell door, I eyed the open door leading out of the office part of the store which I mostly used as storage to the main room. I couldn't see shit besides a straight line from here to the broken window overlooking the street. So I waited another beat then slowly edged my way forward keeping the nose of the shotgun slightly down to relieve some of the tension in my arms, but at the ready so all I had to do was twitch to bring it chest level.

I paused at the entrance separating the office from the actual store and listened. My fingers ached, contrary to what you see in movies, it is impossible to hold a gun for long periods at chest level. The weight of the gun and gravity will tire you out, and if you're not paying attention, you might make a mistake. I flexed my fingers around the barrel and exhaled a silent breath then held it as I stepped around the door.

No one jumped out at me. Nothing moved against the bony fingers of shadows created by the shelves. I eased my way over to the service desk and noted the register was still in one piece.

 _What the hell?_

I relaxed the butt of the gun against my shoulder minutely as I lifted my head and glanced around. Glass glinted on the floor in the glow of the street lights, a car horn blared somewhere in the distant night, but here in the game store, I was alone. Or so I thought.

My head jerked to the man in the mask standing in the dark stricken corner behind the register. He stood so still, that for a moment I considered that the shadows were playing tricks on my eyes, but then he lifted his head... his _head_?

Stray bands of light played across the pink fleshy folds of the too-perfect pig man's face. The mask was eerily authentic looking with weird beads of something dark oozing down the front of his shirt.

Numb horror filled me.

 _That's blood- holy, fucking shit tits, that's blood!_

The loud report of a gun suddenly rang in my ears and with it a white-hot pain I remembered all too well. The startling horror of being shot brought me out of my shocked stupor, and with a defiant snarl I raised the shotgun and pulled the trigger.

Pig man's head exploded from the double-aught buckshot, splattering the wall behind with a shower of gore. The headless body remained upright for a moment then crumpled to the ground.

The shotgun clattered heavily on the floor as I fell forward and onto the service counter.

"Fuck," I gasped. My hand going for my chest, instinctually trying to staunch the flow of blood quickly pooling on the cheap formica. "I fucking... hesitated..."

Trying to get a better grip, I slipped in the blood and fell to the floor bringing half the crap littering the counter with me.

Oh, god it hurt. The burning pain rent a strangled cry from my throat as I turned over onto my back. The thundering of my heart filled my ears, and I couldn't get enough air.

 _Cell phone, Riley! Stay calm and dial 91-_

My pockets were empty.

 _Balls..._

My cell phone was upstairs slumming it with a pint of spent Ben and Jerry's.

I stared up at the water stained tiles above my head and waded in the warm numbness my body drifted in.

Something plopped beside my face, and I was so far gone it took me several sluggish seconds to register the outside stimuli. With shallow breaths and the last vestiges of strength, I turned my head and found myself staring into the smiling Buddha's face. The cartoonish mustache looked ridiculous, and I choked on a laugh, the taste of copper on my tongue.

 _Fuck... life really is a bitch..._

 _..._

Fiery light from the gods burned my retinas, and I shut my eyes against their intensity. God damn, did heaven have to be so fuckin' bright?! Or was this hell?

I tried to pry open my eyes but the light was too intense and everything hurt... wait, why did everything hurt? I thought when you died the pain goes away? That's supposed to be the upside of death, dammit! And since when does heaven or hell smell like a funeral home?!

Now that I was aware of it, there were other nose irritating smells too, and... noise... people talking. The logical conclusion I came to was that I hadn't died and I was in a hospital. Except, I'd woken up in plenty of hospitals before, and they didn't smell quite like this or give off the air of wrongness this place did.

Ignoring the stinging pain of the light, I cracked open my eyes and tried to gauge my surroundings without alerting the people I was awake. White tiled floor- why the heck was I on the floor? A toilet in the corner. No monitors of any kind in sight. Two sets of vents on opposite sides of the ceiling and a metal circular hatch of some kind in the middle and glass walls- no wait, not glass, some kind of high polished crystal from the moons of Eyra. Wait... what? Moons of Eyra? How the heck would I know that?! And what the fuck is an Eyra?!

"The specimen is awake." An unknown masculine voice said.

 _Dammit, the jig is up- wah? Specimen? Are they talking about me?! What the hell is going on?!_

Where ever I was, it wasn't a place I wanted to be...

* * *

 **A/N: 'Ello, my lovely chibis! I don't know where this story is going but it's a hoot writing it! And yes, I know, I went a little meta, lol! XD Anyone and everyone in the path of hurricane Irma, stay safe! Spotlight: Luna Silvereyes, girl your story _A New Hunt_ is fucking amazing! Thanx for being so supportive of my work ;) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Mark of the Yautja**

If waking in unknown territory, with unfamiliar people, wasn't bad enough, I was also buck-ass neked. Oh, but it gets so much worse! Someone had split me down the middle, stirred up my guts with an egg beater then closed me up with barbed wire.

Okay, that was only half true... I think. No barbed wire, but my fingers easily followed the crudely sewn incision traversing my body from chest to crotch. And I realized the inflamed, tender flesh of the incision was the standard Y shape a pathologist cuts when performing an autopsy.

So quick rehash, I woke up in hell, because really, where else do you dissect a live human being for shits and giggles if not hell or a serial killer's kitchen floor. The assclowns talking shop about the _specimen,_ aka moi, weren't exactly trying to be discrete. You'd think I'd pissed in their Cheerios for all the love and warmth in the tone of their conversation. The moment they realized I was awake, they disregarded me and spoke as if I were an object and not a person, using endearing euphemisms like _it_ , or the subject, but my favorite was their constant use of the term specimen. Maybe it just made them feel smarter using a three syllable word.

But why _it_? With my vagina on full display, it was kind of hard to miss the fact that I was a woman.

"Impressive."

That voice. It belonged to the same man who'd first realized I was awake. Gritting my teeth, I awkwardly rolled up onto an elbow and put a face to the speaker. A man with wispy brown hair, a pot belly, and... a monocle? Yes, the man approaching me from the other side of the crystal barrier was wearing a gods-fucking-honest monocle. All the dude was missin' was a pointy goatee and a white cat.

A quick glance at the other two people in the back of the bright room revealed nothing other than they were the brainiacs. The lab coats were a dead giveaway, but really, it was the way they watched me as if I were a tiger in a zoo. Meaning the man who now stood in front of my cage, wearing a double vested hoity-toity I'm-a-high-maintenance-douche-bag suit, was the money man.

"You should be dead."

My eyes narrowed, but I remained impassive. Silence wasn't one of my virtues _-Ha! Virtues, riiiight.-_ but past experiences cooled my desire to make a snarky retort. Stripping me naked had been done to throw me off my game, to rattle me, which meant they were interested in me for a specific reason. And I had a feeling I'd learn more from this double vested tool if I stayed silent than if I started screaming profanities. And honestly, what could I say? If this place wasn't hell, the snide curl of his lips said he could easily make it hell.

"She is the only surviving specimen of the Xeno Regenesis Projects. That is aside from Specimen 2 and Tessa Kellen, the lead bioengineer Dr. Christy Cherish's daughter." One of the talking heads from the back of the room piped up. He was a squat man, probably in his mid-forties, with one of those pointy butt chins, and a hook nose.

 _Excuse me but what the ever-loving shit? Xeno Regenesis? Dr. Cherish..._ I blinked in confusion. The name Cherish had struck a chord. _Why do I know that name?_

Not only Dr. Cherish, but a doctor named Greg Isles surfaced in my hazy mind. I didn't have the faintest clue who those two people were, and yet the alien memories of a room eerily reminiscent of this one surfaced in my mind's eye only to pop like a soap bubble when the second talking head -a tall, lanky, dude who'd clearly lost the battle with Rogaine- spoke.

"But unlike Dr. Cherish's daughter, Revna's DNA has been completely recoded."

Okay, _that_ name had my face contorting with an are-you- _shitting_ -me expression. "What did you call me?" My throat was raw and my voice oddly- smokier? Was it just because my voice was hoarse? Sore or not, the tenor sounded strange, and by strange I mean not mine.

There was a pregnant pause of silence as if the caged tiger had done the impossible and actually spoke as if she were, oh, I dunno- human!

"Revna," the double vested tool said slow and deliberate. His brows drew together in confusion, "Your name is Revna."

 _Revna?! Seriously, what the fuck is going on?!_

Revna was the name of my D&D character. A kickass female Tiefling that starred in every single one of my fantasies whenever I read fanfiction. She was everything I wasn't. Short, petite, stupidly sexy, with a sensual smoky voice, and a prehensile tail...

Freaked, I twisted. It hurt like a bitch, but I ignored the pain as I ran my fingers over my shoulders, the back of my neck and in that awkward spot in the middle of the shoulders. No tail. I sighed in relief. At some point during my manic search for an additional appendage, I'd stood up and speed-walked over to the reflective metal set into the wall beside the toilet and stared at the complete stranger mirroring my wide-eyed expression of holy-fucking-shit-balls!

 _That, ain't me!_

Oh, but it was. The woman mimicked my every move, touching the soft flowing black ringlets of my hair as they swept over my _ahem_ big fucking D's! My lips were pink and pouty instead of thin and covered in black lipstick. Green eyes stared back at me, wide and weirdly mine. I skimmed over my naked flesh realizing my tattoos- my body! Oh, my fucking _gawd_ , I was taller! Okay, it was official this was hell. Not only was I at least a good four to five inches taller, but I had the musculature of a woman who spent _way_ too much time in the dojo on the mats instead of under the sheets. I'd always had an athletic build, but I could see my fucking traps for crying out loud! Who the hell did I piss off to be reincarnated as the female version of Andre the Giant?! A _sexy_ giant but that ain't the freakin' point!

 _Critical miss there Buddha! Unless you did this on purpose you fat rat-bastard!_

Annoyed and utterly freaked, I stared uncomprehendingly at _my_ reflection. I blinked several times. Pinched myself. But nothing I did changed a goddamn thing about this reality. _My_ reality. I thought back to what happened before this. Why wasn't any of this making sense? I remembered being in the shop- no a ship! No, the shop. What ship? A smell. The smell of home and someone... warmth, the memory of someone enveloping me, holding me...

The spell broke and the unfamiliar, yet familiar impressions shattered as my eyes latched onto a scar above my left eyebrow. Pale and a dull red, the cuts had been deliberately made by something sharp and hot. With the tips of my fingers, I traced the curved edge of one line, then the blunt slash of another. A deep sense of pride filled me as I touched it, though, I couldn't explain why. And after decades of healing, the mark was perfectly smooth against my skin.

Perplexed, I leaned away from the mirrored surface. How did I know it had taken decades? And the woman in the mirror only looked to be in her twenties, so how... My eyes retraced the mark, over and over as if staring at it would unlock the secret. I knew this mark. I'd seen this mark before. It was mine, but... how did I know? Where had I seen-

My brain came to a thunderous halt. I knew exactly where I'd seen a mark like this before.

 _Holy shit..._

I whipped around to face the Tool, "I have a fucking Yautja clan mark?!"

The Tool stared at me with a bemused crease in his brow as if I were telling him something he already knew and something I should've known.

The symbol wasn't identical to any of the marks I'd seen in the movies or the graphic novels, but there was no denying what it was. The very essence of the mark vibrated deep in my bones. It was mine. I'd earned it. Fought and almost died for it.

Weird images of me, er, Revna balancing on the head of thrashing xenomorph queen... a spear raised- I shook my head, trying to shake away the ludicrous memories. None of this made any sense.

 _Maybe there never was a man wearing a pigs head. Maybe I cracked, had a nervous breakdown, and now I'm on the floor of a padded cell..._

My eyes caught the reflection, latched onto the mark. No. This shit was real. I sure as shit couldn't explain it but the part of my brain that was still functioning and hadn't gone kablooey when I saw my reflection embraced what was happening. Comprehended it on a level (on a very, very, very, _very_ deep level) that I didn't fully understand. The ominous flickers of memory weren't mine and yet, they were. The Yautja... Xenomorphs... those had all been fantasy... but now they were real, something else I understood deep down but couldn't completely grasp.

I gaped at the scar as the implication fully sank in.

 _Jesus fucking Cripes, I've been marked by the Yautja... that's awesome!_

* * *

 **A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2, Mark of the Yautja! Thanx for all the love and support!**

 **angel897: Eee! So happy you enjoyed it XD**

 **Tenfangirl: Omg, lemme tell ya, my brain is on fire right now! Lol, and oddly smells like burning toast! XD Thanx so much for the love!**

 **KittyKatt25: Lol, I know right! I do it all the time! She might burn something down ;) Or blow it up XD**

 **KTCameleon: Hehe, did you catch what I did in this chapter ;D No, I don't hate redheads, lol! ;)**

 **Luna Silvereyes: Omg! XD Your review had me giggling XD Ah, thanks for the compliment! I'm thrilled you liked it! Lol, did you catch who I referenced in this chapter ;)**

 **First Dragon: Germany?! Oh, that's freaking cool! Hi hi! Thanx for the love! XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Altered Carbon**

 _"Even in death, I will never stop hunting you..."_

The words floated in an out of my grasp on an unyielding torrent that was my memory. Someone had spoken those words to me. In my head, I felt him there, but for the life of me, I couldn't see his face.

"Never stop..." I murmured to the ceiling. Whoever he was, he'd meant it as both a threat and a promise, and I felt oddly comforted by it.

 _Come find me..._

The white slab above my head mocked me as I stared. There were no tiles or even water stains to count. Time slipped by me unnoticed because no one had bothered to put a convenient clock on the wall or a window in this bright hellhole. Nothing but me, and my jambalaya of assorted memories. So to say I was bored out of my ever fucking mind was an understatement. And talking- er, well, taunting the ghosts haunting my disoriented gray matter at least has the potential of provoking them into taking solid form instead of being the empty voids in my head. Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.

Nameless drones came and went, checking up on me I suppose, but I paid no attention to them other than their faces. If I was ever going to escape this place, and I _am_ going to escape this place, it's best to keep a count of the cronies and commit them to memory.

My eyes drifted over the crystal barrier on all three sides, over the vents in the ceiling, and the wall behind the toilet which was the only part of the barrier made up of heavy metal. I suspected there was a seamless door set into that metal wall, but I couldn't get up and feel around for it. My wounds were healing. The skin tingled and itched as it knit itself back together. It was the weirdest feeling, and it freaked me out at first, but then I realized this was natural for me, er, Revna- no, me. I was Revna. Anyway, I wasn't sure how much the Tool and his goons knew about my physiology, and I didn't want to show my hand just yet if they didn't already know. So I curled up on my side and did my best to hide the vanishing incision as I weighed my options. Despite my healing wounds, the longer I waited to escape, the more time they had to starve me or cut me open again. And eventually, I wouldn't have the stamina to do jackshit aside from staring at the ceiling.

Absently, I ran my tongue over Revna's-er, my new canines. They were sharp and looked as though they belonged to a small predatory animal, like a fox, or something equally _not_ a human, but they felt very natural despite this. And oddly, I haven't bitten myself yet which was why I hadn't noticed them in my earlier inspection.

 _Was I ever really Riley Sager?_

Not knowing for sure who you are was a very disorienting feeling. Riley Sager had died alone in a game shop. And Revna, if she ever had a last name, it had long been forgotten, wasn't alone. Not entirely. And it is her memories that swelled and expanded in my mind, while Riley's began to fade.

 _Maybe I always was Revna and these assclowns... I dunno... downloaded Riley's memories into me?_

No, that theory didn't hold water. There was only one way to prove if I ever really was Riley Sager, or if Riley Sager ever existed, but that required getting out of this place.

Laying on my side, I began to feel funny. Funnier than my skin pinching as it pulled itself closed. It started as a slight pressure behind my eyes then intensified and shifted into something thick and... vicious. The oily sensation spread through my head and my sight went grainy like watching the world through an old black and white with tinfoil wrapped around its antenna.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. Something... moved through the oily film inside my head. Something... equally dark... and dangerous. Then I heard it. Them. Two of them. Hissing and scratching. They were caged. And they wanted out.

I opened my eyes. Xenomorphs. They were housing Xenomorphs in this facility. I swallowed hard as color returned to the room and the oily film receded though it didn't completely go away. It lingered in the back of my mind with the rest of the ghosts. The Xenomorphs still hissing and scratching. I swallowed. How the hell could I touch the mind of a Xenomorph? Better yet, why didn't it scare me?

Stupid question. I knew why. This was normal for Revna- for me. I could tap into the telepathic connection of Xenomorphs. Something I could use to my advantage. Something I _have_ used to my advantage in the past.

An idea began to take root. A crazy one. Not that there's any better kind than that. But gawd-almighty this wasn't just poking the bear kind of crazy, this was like humping its leg crazy. Which is probably why it appealed to me. Go figure.

Wouldn't it be insanely cool if I could in a sense control a Xenomorph? Yes, it would. Moreover, I knew I could do it. Without a queen to shield them, the Xenomorph drones were fair game.

I closed my eyes and reached for that oily darkness. Immediately becoming aware of the drones confusion and fury at my invasion. Their rage beat against my psyche, it gave me a dull headache, but I withstood it. And eventually, instinct took hold. I firmly pushed back, forcing my way into their heads and continued to experiment with this latent talent of mine, testing its limits, and discovering a scary side to myself that I also found wicked cool...

...

At some point in time, I dozed off. Not the brightest thing to do in the company of assholes but the healing process had taken its toll, and my body demanded I pay up. And when I came to again, I found the main lights had gone out, and only the security light above the door and the monitors remained on, so I figured that meant it was nighttime.

I didn't need the light to see. My night vision was pretty kickass, and even without it, I could clearly _smell_ the guard standing in the corner of the room that was the furthest point away from me. And when my gaze went to him the sour tinge of fear wafted towards me. I smiled. The crystal barrier reflected the predatory green shine of my eyes and as dark as it was on my side of the room, the glow of my eyes was probably the only thing his human eyes could see.

A low rumble of glee vibrated in the back of my throat, and I found myself getting to my feet. The guards fear spiked, and so did my interest. I leaned forward and ran a nail down the crystal. The whining _sssshhhheeek_ made him jump. I bared my teeth. Pleased but at the same time pissed that I was unable to do more than toy with him when it suddenly hit me how much enjoyment I was getting out of fucking with him.

I frowned and took a step back. This type of _play_ , if you could call it that, felt foreign yet it came so naturally to me.

 _Riley wouldn't ha-_

A silent snarl curled my lips, and I shook my head with an insufferable sigh. I wasn't Riley. Maybe I'd been Riley at one time but not anymore. While I'd slept, a few more pieces of memory had clicked into place. The reason I remembered Dr. Christi Cherish was because I'd been in her lab before. In fact, I'd lived there from the time I was four up until my late teens while she _remade_ me. I think at one point I was even cryogenically frozen during which time Dr. Cherish, assisted by Dr. Isles reconstructed my DNA. I don't recall much of that chunk of my life, and while part of me didn't care if I ever recovered all of the memories of it, another part of me knew I needed too. My childhood had been hell, but I was stronger for it.

 _And if I hadn't been strong, I never would've..._

My thoughts drifted as a memory fought its way free of the cobwebs. Although, memory might be the wrong word. It was more like a jumble of intense images and impressions. With one very _big_ impression dominating all of the others. Strong, calloused hands that could crush bones as easily as they could and _have_ made my body tremble... The heady scent of male musk and hot iron... Midnight blue skin laced with dark sangria "saddles" like a boa constrictor's, running the length of _his_ heavily corded arms and down the steely contours of his spine. And tiger orange eyes that even now made me shiver.

I licked my lips. My fingers sliding over my hips and inner thighs, tracing the zillion little scars marring the skin. I'd noticed them early, but aside from the weird sense of pride they gave me, I couldn't remember why. Now I did.

 _Heh, my mate is very passionate... huh, wait a minute... mate? Now that's interestin'..._

Delight warmed my insides. And I decided at that moment that being Revna has the potential for being exceedingly cool.

 _Yes, come and find me... Kasai'sa..._

* * *

 **A/N: Gah! Sorry, it took so long! For those of you who are unaware, I'm about to be a mom so my writing time has become limited and precious, but I will try my best to update when I can. To that effect, I don't have time to seriously edit, so please forgive my mistakes. Thanx for all those favs, follows, and reviews! :) Also, FYI, this story is in the same universe as my other story Deadly Curiosities, so some of those characters like Dr. Cherish are in both stories.**

 **write more soon: I will try ;)**

 **KTCameleon: Lol, yes, this is TK's universe. More on Revna's past later ;)**

 **angel897: Thanx lovely! So glad you liked it :)**

 **DiamondDi: Awe, thanx! XD**

 **Tenfangirl: Lol, thanx! I'll do my best to keep on wowing you ;)**

 **Kittycat0521: Eeee, thanx! Your review made me super happy! You're so sweet! XD**

 **Luna Silvereyes: Haha XD Thanx! I love her name too! And I really wanted the readers to get the visceral feel for what she's going through, and I think I succeeded. :)**

 **Almadynis Rayne: Thanx! And yes you can expect more, but unfortunately, the updates will be a bit untimely with all that's going on in my life. So glad you enjoyed it! :)**

 **Rasha007: Lol, yeah, I went a little meta and made her a fan of my fanfiction XD I can't wait to share more! Thanx for the love! :)**

 **Kay Starlight: Thanx! I'm happy you liked it :)**

 **speedy-skye: More on the Yautja mark later ;) And my life's a bit hectic but I'll update when I can. Thanx for reading :)**

 **Argalii: Thanx for the compliment! Glad you liked it! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Dangerous Games We Play**

 _A Bad Blood..._

I'd been on the hunt, trailing a Bad Blood when I got reckless and decided to pursue my prey through Marine infested space. In fact, I'd found it fun. I liked the adrenaline rush of sneaking through a fleet of Marines right under their noses. The Bad Blood's trail led me into the heart of the humans' sphere where I tracked him to Titan. Saturn's largest moon had become one of humanities' few thriving colonies after the xenomorphs decimated their numbers on Earth and came to rule as the dominant species. Of course, the humans had only themselves to blame for that mess.

I paced my prison. No point in hiding my healed torso, they knew what I was. After all, they'd been the bastards who'd created me. And as more and more of my memories returned, the angrier I got, and the more I wanted to hunt and string up their corpses.

Anyway, I digress, I'd waded into heavily protected human territory on my own because that was part of the excitement. I enjoyed testing my mate's patience (as well as my competence) which typically got me into trouble but not _this_ much trouble. I'd been victorious in the hunt, albeit after the Bad Blood had rampaged through a tiny mining village and slaughtered a bunch of humans too weak to be considered worthy prey. And that's where the memory ended. It all grew a little hazy after that, though I thought I recalled a child having something to do with my capture, but couldn't compel the memory to the surface of my addled brain for the life of me. And while Riley's memories had all but faded into the background, I still got my facts and recollections confused. But at least I was no longer confused about _who_ I was.

The eyes in the room followed me as I paced. A guard at the door, a big man about my height with thick arms, a thick neck, and a thick nose. Not the same guard as last night and this one wouldn't be as easily cowed. Of course, intimidation was a bit more challenging to pull off when you're walking around in nothing but your skin behind a barrier intended to contain xenomorphs. The bulldog of a guard caught my eye and immediately dropped it. My gaze narrowed, that hadn't been a submissive gesture, no, that was proof enough that someone had thoroughly warned him against engaging in eye contact with me. Smart. Very smart.

I tilted my head away from the guard and settled my cool gaze on the lab tech behind the computer. He stiffened, and I smiled wolfishly. This one either hadn't received the same warning or he simply couldn't handle the weight of my attention. I set my hand against the crystal and began to tap my nails to the erratic beat of his heart. The tech paled when he realized what I was doing, and the sudden jolt of his pulse had me baring my canines in glee.

"Knock it off," barked the bulldog.

Bored of the game, I sneered and took a step away. I was only torturing myself anyway. Now I had an annoyingly acute sense of how a cat feels when a fish swims safely behind glass. Irritated. Discontent. And _hungry_. Not that I wanted to eat the pasty tech (ew!), but the nervous pitter-pattering of his heart was like a cheese grater to my nerves.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing grating my nerves. Where in the nine shades was Kazai'sa?! He should know better than to keep me waiting so damn long! Typical male! Useless! Who needs 'em?!

 _Kazai'sa..._

A sudden yearning for my mate hollowed out my chest. I missed him. Craved his touched. Longed for the games we played. Heh, well, I played and forced him into. As a clan leader I get that he has responsibilities and blah, blah, blah, but what about his responsibility to me?

 _Dammit..._ So that's why I'm in this situation? Because I was feeling neglected?

Deja vu walked through me, its ghostly touch leaving me chilled. I've done this before. Many times. On purpose. This discovery about myself filled in a few of those voids in my head. Kazai'sa had only taken the responsibility of being a leader because the previous one, like many other Yautja, found mating a human taboo and dishonorable. Kazai'sa would not let him kill me, nor would he walk away from his people. So he did the only thing he could, he challenged the leader and killed him. Before I came along and fucked up his life in the best way, Kazai'sa had been an Elite, and on his way to becoming an Elder. Being a "Leader" wasn't necessarily taking a step down in the hierarchy. After all the Leader, or rather, the Hunt Master was in charge of training the Young Bloods and took them on their first hunts. The term "Leader" was an ambiguous title. And while the Yautja males controlled the hunt, it was the females who were the backbone of their culture. It's a Matriarchal society. I've never met the Matriarch, and I probably never would. She allowed me to remain a part of Kazai'sa's clan, but I was not welcome on the homeworld. In other words to her, and I'm paraphrasing here, I was trouble.

I smirked. I've seen hurricanes cause less damage than what I leave behind. But I think if I _behaved_ , then Kazai'sa wouldn't bother putting himself in my path.

 _This life is so much fucking cooler than fanfiction!_

I chuckled, this was all so crazy, yet each new revelation (even the ones I didn't particularly like) left me elated. Dying had been the best damn thing to ever happen to Riley. And as Revna, I woke up in the standard Alien/Predator plot bunny scenario of being a badass created by Wey-Yu but who the frick cares?! Not this chick! Yes, it sucked getting carved open like a Christmas turkey, but unlike the turkey, I won't get eaten. 'Cause no romance fanfic ever ends that way! You know, unless you're a heartless bitch... werewolfbleu, huh, that's right. Riley often thought that that author had been extraordinarily cruel to her characters. And her readers. Always leaving things hanging right before the romantic twist or the suspenseful turn of the story.

I shook my head. Riley's memories may be fading, but part of her was still very much alive in me. And the fangirl's spirit wanted to wait around to be rescued and have that cheesy moment and epic kiss with her prince. Tempting. Very tempting. Especially considering what a lazy sack I know I can be at times. Except, this time, I'd really stepped in it. I'd takin' the game way to far. And one thing the Yautja firmly believed in was cleaning up your own shit. Not lying it. Kazai'sa would come for me. I knew he would. But I figured I should at least cause a little mayhem while I wait.

 _So let's get crackin'!_

I reached for the oily psyche of the xenos, yanking the telepathic link I'd created to keep them compliant. Hissing. A flash of teeth. The xenos fought, but there were only two of them and without a collective, or a queen they were mine. As I touched their minds, I heard what they heard, scented what they scented, and I saw the world through a kaleidoscope of impressions their telepathy painted for them. The bombardment of new senses made me a little nauseous. It took time to piece together what they were showing me, but once the sickness passed, I was able to pull out the details. Like me, they were caged in a fishbowl made of the same impervious crystal. Of course, that didn't matter if I could get someone to come inside.

On my end, I took a moment to assess the idea bubbling up. It would take time and a lot of concentration. My eyes slid up from the floor as the tech left the room then settled on the guard who seemed rather engrossed in a holovid. Good. I sank to the ground. My back to the guard. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and reached for the xenos again.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanx for waiting! I've plotted out the rest of this short story, so hopefully, I'll be able to update it more frequently. My 4 month old takes priority, but I will try my best :)**

 **sousie: I can hardly wait too XD**

 **angle897: Thanx, angel! :)**

 **KTCameleon: Lol, he is definitely wicked ;)**

 **Tenfangirl: Hi, sweetness! This chapter was a little lean on the calories too, lol. But hopefully, my next chapter will be filled with enough ooey gooeiness to cause tooth decay XD**

 **phsycopredgirlouttahercage: Haha! I almost went forthwall on this story so that I could "talk" to Revna. But I think going a little meta worked better ;) Thanx for the love!**

 **Luna Silvereyes: I think the mind of a xeno would be utter chaos too, especially if you were stuck listening to an entire hive! Lol, thanx! I can hardly wait for you to meet the new pred ;D**

 **High priestess Anavi: So sorry for the wait! Hope you're still around! Thanks for the love!**

 **LunarKitty1995: OMG! Hi, LunarKitty! So sorry for the long wait! Thanx! Say hi to your girlfriend for me!**

 **bakaneko7: Thanx! Stay awesome! :D**

 **belladu57: Thank you! :)**

 **nightshade6335: Lol! Thanks! Sorry for the wait! Thank you for the compliment and the love! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Pauk!**

Xenomorphs are tenacious creatures. The constant push and pull on my psyche was both mentally and physically draining. If this continued much longer I wouldn't be able to fight off a fly much less the bulldog and his even burly friend at the door. Riley had been such a psycho-fan-girl that I was having trouble remembering my own limitations. I knew I was strong. But that was a result of a tough life, training, and not to mention a mate who pushed me beyond those constraints. I could take the two guards but only if I got the drop on them. Unlike every fanfic Riley had ever read or written, and there were a lot of them, Wey-Yu's experimentation did not turn me into some tiny, badass she-hero hybrid. Not unless you enjoy the chaotic wriggling and oily feel of a xenos mind. Although assuming I'm not confusing my memories, then the one real advantage I might have over the two guards was that I was fast. Still, physical exhaustion equals rubbery legs. Despite all of this I held on, forcing the two xenos to obey. Their bios weren't being closely monitored, and for hours I grit my teeth as I sorted through the confusing barrage of impressions, waiting for the perfect moment.

Shift change. The tech monitoring the aliens yawned and shut down all non-essentials at the console. Once he left, only the two guards remained for the long graveyard hours.

Again I waited. Allowing time to slip away as well as my strength but it was necessary. One of the guards in the xenos containment stretched, leaned his weight against the door. I had no doubt that Wey-Yu's security personnel were all well trained, however, unless you're a night creature, it is physically way more demanding even if all you're doing is staring at a monitor. You're tired. Irritable. And it messes with your ability to think clearly. Meaning a person is more likely to make a fatal mistake.

The other guard sank to the floor, setting his gun beside him within arms reach. Tense, I patiently waited until I was sure he was drifting in and out of consciousness then I struck. Xenos can go into a type of suspended animation where they don't even need to breathe. I forced this on them so fast that both xenos dropped where they stood. At this point I was blind. Stuck in strange stagnant fog.

The pseudo-death should've set off a bunch of alarms. Even if that didn't frazzle them, I was hoping the guards would make the mistake of entering the containment. Often people don't believe what their eyes are telling them, and they feel compelled to investigate, even when it's really really stupid. A couple xenos just dropping dead for no reason at all would be pretty hard to believe.

Breath held I refused to ease my grip on the xenos. I couldn't see or hear or taste anything, yet even with everything shut down spider silk threads of awareness webbed the xenos id. And when one of those threads got tugged, the xenos instinctively fought to wake. It had worked. Someone was in the containment. I released the two xenos, and in my weakened state, the psychic blowback viciously tore the connection.

My head whipped back as I startled and cracked against the fishbowl. Groaning, I slumped over onto my side. Sweaty, breaths shaky and body trembling, I tried to push myself up on my forearms and promptly slid forward clicking my jaw on the floor.

 _Buddha that fucking hurt!_

But I'd done it. The xenos were free and wrecking house. But there were so many unknowns. Did Wey-Yu have a contingency plan? Attempting to recapture the xenos would result in a high body count. 'Course, so would going after them with the intent to kill. Either way, I had to try and regain control over one of them and get myself free before they could escape, be recaptured, or terminated.

 _My life suuuucks!_

Sexy Yautja mate aside, right now my life blew chunks. Apparently, rummaging around in a xeno's brain only days after Wey-Yu had their filthy hands all up in my business was not healthy.

 _My god, what were they looking for in there?!_

The lights blinked on, it couldn't be dawn yet, so it had to be in response to the xenos getting loose. Not a second later, accompanied by red running lights along the walls, MU-TH-UR's monotone voice came over the PA calling all security personnel away.

The two guards exchanged uncertain looks then glanced at me. But I guess since I was a shivering, sweating heap on the floor they must've decided the escapees took priority. When the locks bolted into place behind their exit, I forced myself to roll over. I groaned. My head killed.

Panting from the effort, I started to stagger to my feet. Too much. I slowly sat myself back down before nausea could drop me like a stone. The skin along my belly and chest had knit itself back together and scabbed nicely, but my insides were a little scrambled.

No way could I reach out to one of the aliens now. Not while I couldn't even keep my own mental shields up. This shit went both ways, and I did _not_ want a xeno rampaging inside my head.

Close your eyes. Take a breath. Refortify. I took another breath, deeper this time. Refortified. A cool breeze of awareness sent a ripple through the already tremulous waters of my psyche. I opened my eyes.

 _Kazai'sa..._

As if to answer, gunfire tore me out of the haze. Shouts from the corridor. The unmistakable shriek of a xeno.

 _Damn. I can't let him win this one. I have to at least get myself outta this cage..._

The locks clicked, and the door slid open venting in the acrid scent of smoke and the tang of blood. A man, obviously a security personnel but not one I recognized, walked in with a standard issue carbine at the ready. I sat up slowly, shoulders bunching. Blood streaked the front of his gray shirt, his breathing labored, but the blue eyes that met mine were focused.

 _What's he planning to do?_

The crystal was resistant to xeno acid. I doubted anything less than a fifty cal could crack it. No. He'd have to open the containment if he wanted to shoot me.

"What a waste," he sighed. I frowned. Watching him closely as he reached for the console. "Nothing personal." My hackles jumped as an unnerving creak of metal accompanied his words. I looked for the rusty henge sound and noticed the slats in the vents above my head were open.

"Just following orders."

Confused, I stared back at him. The guard sighed and touched another control. My head cocked when nothing happened. What was with this guy? And what's with the piteous expression? Then I smelled it. Eyes wide in horror, my head shot back up. Cool as it breathed against my skin, the colorless, and nearly odorless gas leaked into the fishbowl.

 _I'm trapped!_

"No..." the denial was barely an audible breath. Teeth bared and snarling, my murderous eyes found the guards. "No!" Adrenaline slammed through my veins and the weakness I felt moments ago evaporated. I threw myself into the crystal over and over and over all the while the guard just stood there and watched. "Let me out!" I screamed.

His expression never changed, and I swore to myself that if I got out of this, I would rip the pity right out of eyes. "I sympathize. I really do," he said.

"You sympathize-" I choked. "- is that supposed to make me feel better?!" The snarl turned into a torturous gasp. I clawed at my throat. I couldn't breathe. And my lungs were on fire.

I collapsed against the fishbowl. The man shook his head. I sank to the floor as he turned to leave. Coughing. Trembling. Black dots budded at the outer edge of my sight and began to blossom.

 _Buddha, you bastard! If I die too, then what... what was the... point... of all..._

 _..._

"May God smite thee!"

God? Why were humans always spouting the same nonsense at him as if it were venom? The language archives defined God as a sovereign or deity of some kind, but perhaps the translation was incorrect. He'd have to ask his mate if God was a curse because it was the single most used word in any recorded hunt. Well, that and "fuck" a swear that seemed to be universal.

"You and that filthy xenomorph hybrid will burn!"

Hybrid? Burn? Behind the bio mask, Kazai'sa's mandibles spread. The insect was referring to his mate. He stared at the shrieking human in his grasp, and in a rare burst of unchecked rage, he crushed the pathetic male's throat.

The body dropped to the floor. At the other end of the hall, another human screamed as he clawed at the wall for purchase. Kazai'sa heard the unmistakable hiss of a kiande amedha and picked it up on the bio scanner. The human screamed and whimpered and begged right up until the kiande amedha sank its teeth into his throat and dragged him away.

Kazai'sa wondered if his mate had anything to do with the two hard meats. The hunter's tusks scraped in exasperation. A pack of unblooded males on their first hunt wreaked less havoc than what Revna could inflict in her sleep. And this latest _game_ to get his attention had gone too far. If the council learned of her capture, they would demand her head.

 _I should let them have it,_ he seethed. How long was he going to be a slave to the madness that drove him to seek her out and play her games?

On the inside of the left eye shield, Kazai'sa's thermal targeting system, scoped and zeroed in on the heat sig belonging to the errant female that made his blood boil as if he were still a pauk-de young blood. _Indefinitely,_ he grudgingly conceded as he watched the heat radiating off her pulse with the beat of her six chambered heart. Though he loathed to admit it, this was a game he would lose every time.

The biomarker flashed yellow. Something was wrong. His tusks clicked in alarm as the colorful spectrum of her silhouette brightened, her heart pumping wildly from an underlying cause he could not detect. Kazai'sa snarled.

 _Pauk!_

* * *

 **A/N: So there's a little peek at Kazai'sa ;D**

 **Tenfangirl: If I could, I would spoil you every day! Thanx, lovely! :D**

 **angel897: Lol, I think she got herself into quite a pickle. Again. Thanx, angel! :D**

 **sempy: Haha! I'm so happy I got back into this fic! Thanx so much! Right now my kiddo is sleeping like a dream, so I've been able to write quite a bit. ;D**

 **lauren souliere: Lol, I'd say he's a little peeved ;) But no worries, this hot-blooded male won't let her win the game that easily XD Thanx!**

 **sousie: Ha! Thanx! I'm having a lot fun with the meta in this story too XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**Annihilation Games**

 _On a precipice skirting the Xiban sea, I turned to face the Predator. We battled in the stinking marshes of Tassix 7, played hide n' seek in the ice caverns of Hiaako, I outfoxed him on Zeta Ti, but it seemed the hunter had grown wise to my game, driving me into a choke point. Now he need only to reach out and grab me, yet I sensed the wavering in the hunter's heart. How endearing that even after stalking me across three galaxies, the adamant hunter had yet to figure out that I wasn't the one who'd changed the nature of the game. Licking my lips, I offered a silent challenge to the cloaked Predator. And my boldness elicited a clicking growl that sounded of all things_ hungry _to my ears._

 _My beguiling smirk grew foxy, rife with mischief. Spinning, I lept off the crest and plunged into Aswarii's warm tranquil waters. I swam into the deep, my long black hair trailing over my shoulder as I looked up at the rippling surface waiting to see if the hunter would continue the chase..._

 **Kazai'sa**

The enraged Predator struck fast and true, his claws laying waste to the human's soft flesh. The guard clutched at the gaping ruin of his throat, his mind unable to comprehend what had happened or the speed at which the Predator had attacked.

Kazai'sa had given himself fully to his baser instincts. The ingrained nature of the primordial beast roared to life within his heart. Revna was his. _His._ He could taste her now. Taste the very female who effortlessly drove this seasoned hunter to abandon all reason. _Kill her!_ Oh, how he wished that he could.

Tossing the dying insect aside, the predator's gaze latched onto his mate beyond the barrier. An alien coldness seeped into the Hunt Master's marrow, the shock of seeing Revna's still form momentarily robbing him of action.

Revna's chest shuddered, her breathing labored. The fluttering movement grounded Kazai'sa, gave him something to focus on, reassuring him that Cetanu had yet to rip her away. Her healing wounds were not won in any battle but inflicted upon her when she could not fight back. Where was the honor in that?! A toxic hatred flooded the hunter's veins. He would kill them. He would kill them all.

Upon entering the room, he'd assessed everything at a glance, yet he felt sluggish and weighed down as if moving through water. The barrier was meant to contain hard meats, not a Yautja on the warpath. And while destroying it might somewhat satisfy the beast living within his heart, he didn't want to inadvertently harm his mate further. Moreover, his intuition warned him of the poisonous gas inside the containment. His comp couldn't trace the chemical breakdown from this side. However, when he switched spectrums, he could see the dense cloud. Strangely though it was no longer filling the containment, but being drawn back out.

Beside him was a control station. He stepped up alongside it, shoving the carcass draped over it aside. A quick scan of the oxygen levels confirmed the lethal buildup in the containment was being vented. Kazai'sa spared a glance for the husk at his feet, confused as to why the human had bothered reversing the kill command. Annoyance rattled in the back of his throat, he wouldn't bother wasting time trying to analyze the vexing nature of human behavior. He'd given up on that annoying venture ages ago after meeting Revna. Still, the thought churned in his head as he disengaged the locking mechanism. Kazai'sa doubted the human male had tried to save his mate out of any sense of honor. So what had his endgame been?

The metal bolts anchoring the crystal into the floor gave a whining crack, and his mate's heady scent no longer obstructed by the sealed enclosure overwhelmed and battered his senses as if he were standing in the middle of the black storms of Torkana. This was her power over him. And he was damned to forever obey her call.

Mandibles spread in revulsion at his own weakness, Kazai'sa seized the lever below the screen and threw it upwards with such force it snapped clean off. There was a hissing groan as the seamless plates in the ceiling moved aside and the crystal raised. He didn't bother waiting. Kazai'sa crouched in front of the containment, he grabbed Revna and pulled her to him the instant the gap was wide enough.

Lowering the concentration of nitrogen to human levels, he placed his atmospheric mask over her mouth to ease her breathing. The predator rumbled with pride at the strength of his mate. Revna's remarkable biology was already working hard to counter the ill effects of the gas built up in her bloodstream. He traced a claw down the wound path expanding the length of her torso and the thundering in his chest abated, leached away by the fury. Now that he was so close, he could taste more than just his mate's scent, he could taste the chemicals they'd pumped into her veins, and he could taste _them._ Every single human who'd laid hands on his mate had left a scent marker behind. And after he killed every-fucking-one of them, he would purge his mate so that she only smelled of him...

...

 **Revna**

"Ka..zai'sa.."

Tiger orange orbs backlit by an otherworldly ire descended upon me. The low ominous growl tapered into a rattly chuffing then ceased as I touched his neck. The predator stilled beneath my fingers, ready to ambush his prey. Kazai'sa tended to get this way whenever he was mad. And I've learned (from _way_ too much personal experience) that the quieter he got, the more dangerous he became. Obviously, he was really really mad. If I were anyone else, I would be alarmed. 'Course, if I were anyone else, I would've already been dead.

I should've felt guilty. I should've admitted I took the game a step too far but apologizing would mean I'd lost. And I don't lose. Ever. Unless it benefits me in some way. Furthermore apologizing to a Yautja was tricky business. Kazai'sa would see it as weakness. Besides, now that he wasn't merely a phantom, the last lingering holes in my memory were closing.

I touched his chest. And the hand cradling my head flexed, his talons scratching my scalp. It's strange. Reading about the strength of these creatures, Riley had always found it sooo... sexy, and it is (no argument here), but I also had a deep respect for the power that was being held in check. And fuck me, honey, speaking of power, touching Kazai'sa was like being embraced by the raw energy of a supernova. And my fingers tingled with it as they reaffiliated themselves with the thick streamline muscle of his chest. "Heh, I remember you."

His head cocked. And I chuckled at his confusion.

 _Thank you, Buddha, you beautiful fat bastard!_

I tugged at the oxygen mask, and he allowed me to pull it away. Raising myself up off the floor, I swept my knees under me and pushed myself into his crouched position so that I could gain access to more of him. I missed him. Missed him so bad that I would rather endure Wey-Yu's fucked up Operation game ten thousand times over then wake up in a hospital in South Lousiana as Riley. Kazai'sa didn't exist in that dream or whatever I'd experienced. And if there were a universe or alternate dimension or schizo delusion where he did not exist, then I would cease to exist.

My lips joined my fingers in sudden fevered exploration. Refamiliarizing myself with all the hard contours of this magnificent predator. _Oh yeah. Way better than fanfiction._ That sliver of doubt that had remained vanished. I could firmly put the fear of waking as Riley Sager to rest. He was real. Kazai'sa didn't taste like any of the hundreds of sexual euphemism that writers use to embellish sensations. Natural predators do not smell much less taste like chocolate and strawberry tarts and everything delicious. Kazai'sa tasted of sour sweat, salt, and the blood of his kills, but underneath all that grit and death, the sharp and heady musk of his skin danced across the palate of my memory. And I reveled in it.

The blunt edge of his biomask where it ended at the jaw scraped the top of my head. One hand cupped the base of my skull, and the other trailed my spine to my hip, grabbing me roughly and keeping me pinned as he draped over me. Phew. Good thing Wey-Yu had already stripped me naked. Saves time. He dropped his head into the crook of my neck, his dreads spilling over my breasts. Kazai'sa took a breath, and I got the annoyingly distinct impression he was trying to regain control over himself. He nuzzled the expanse of my throat, his words to me in the Yautja tongue both a threat and a promise.

"... meh'ithran hi..."

His voice was little more than a guttural raspy purr, but I'd caught the gist of what he'd said. Meh'ithran hi... it meant 'to devour'. I shivered. Lying here in the middle of chaos with a hot-blooded angry Yautja hovering over me (seriously, what could be better), I finally felt like myself again. We brought out the worst and... well, the worst in each other.

Kazai'sa lifted his head, but I hadn't finished my exploration of him yet. I grabbed the back of his neck, desperate to bring our bodies closer together... a cold snap of pain seized my insides, wrenching a hideous cry from my throat. Nausea slammed threw me in hot waves, and I broke out in an icy sweat.

Damn. That had been stupid. Worse, I couldn't even blame the needy reaction on the fangirl. On the outside, the incision was mostly a smooth scar, but clearly, my insides were a jumbled mess.

Kazai'sa gently lowered me back to the floor. His clinical gaze narrowed as he scrutinized Wey-Yu's handy work. The question that's been banging around in my head for days was mirrored in the way he ghosted a hand over my belly. _What the hell did they do to me?_

The opti shields in Kazai'sa's biomask flashed blue as he scanned me.

 _Wonderful. I'm completely naked and Kazai'sa's playing doctor the wrong way. If this were a fanfiction I'd be miraculously healed by now and my mate would abandon his pathological need for control and mount me like a fu..._

Kazai'sa had gone still. Very very still. The intense quiet had me putting the mental rant on hold. I glanced up at him. The red stria and gold flecks in his irises were stunning, and more prominent now that a fury I've never known before offset them.

"What is it?" I breathed. For the first time since waking in the lab, real fear quickened my heart. _Did they impregnate me while I was unconscious? After all, this is Weyland Yutani..._ A red 3D interface blossomed from Kazai'sa's wrist gauntlet, derailing my imaginative horror spiral of being host to a xeno embryo. I vaguely recognized the symbols floating in the air but couldn't remember all the translations. The interface reconfigured and I found myself staring at my internal bio-scan. It then separated parts of my biology into five sections. One of them started to flash. The scanner isolated a section and Yautja script scrolled beside it, but I couldn't be bothered to try and translate as I stared at the dark picture. _Somethin' must be wrong with the imagining system._ The thought came and went before I realized there was nothing wrong with the scanner at all but with me. The image was dark because there was nothing there. Those Weyland Yutani butchers had sterilized me, stealing both of my ovaries and my uterus.

Automatically, my gaze sought Kazai'sa's. I was a xeno hybrid. An abomination in the eyes of the Yautja. Even if we'd been able to procreate, the birth of our offspring would've incited a war between the clans. Still, the gross violation ripped opened a gaping hole in my heart, and a terrible hatred spilled out of the wound. I was rising from the floor even before realizing the burning anger gave me purpose. My mate rose up beside me, a wild light blazing behind his orange orbs.

 _Not a fanfiction..._

The full meaning of that thought finally sank in. Too bad I had to lose something precious in order to grasp it.

A man's scream echoed down the corridor. Growing louder as he drew nearer.

"New game-" I stole a feel of my mate's hard thigh making sure to graze him with my nails as I commandeered a dual bladed knife the length of my forearm. The human chose that moment to enter the room and staggered to a stop at the sight of Kazai'sa. Face pale and chest practically convulsing to get a full breath, the squat male barely even noticed me but when he did, I could see him put two and two together, comprehending that the Yautja was here for me. I bared my teeth in a delighted snarl. He was one of the techs in the room when I first woke up. I saw the "oh shit" widening of his eyes right before I split him from throat to crotch. "-annihilation."

...

I thrust the blade in a sharp ark, dislodging blood from its dual edges. It splattered a crimson crescent across the walls of the lab that had become a canvas for our rage. Perspiration drenched my naked flesh which would've been sexy had I not been sheet white and doubled over as I shut my eyes against the pain in my body and spirit. Okay, clearly, there were drawbacks to not being just some random character in a fanfiction. When you got hurt, you might be able to grit your teeth against the pain, but eventually, your body will break. And I slammed face first into the breaking point somewhere after my fourth kill. Or was it the fifth? Stuck inside the containment, I hadn't put my body through the wringer. I'd had no idea how bad it was until now. Seeing the damage on the scanner was completely different to feeling it. And the extreme physical exertion was taking its toll.

The blade clattered to the floor as I slumped against the wall. Breaths heavy, I stared down at the cocky asstard who'd been my jailer throughout most of my stay. The putrid stink of shit ripened the air. Lovely, I'd perforated his bowls.

Steadying myself with a hand on the wall, I carefully sank to the floor and retrieved the blade. Now dulled by death, I briefly glanced at the guard's eyes and enjoyed a perverse sense of satisfaction that in the end, I'd made him beg for his life.

"You will find no mercy in me..."

Getting to my feet was a tall order, but I managed. The wall kept me upright as I slowly stepped over the body and proceeded down the dark corridors. While the lab had gone graveyard silent, the noise inside my head was intense and rising in volume. The shrill cries of an angry xenomorph clawed at the inside of my head. Voracious and pissed to all hell that Kazai'sa had killed her sister, the alien tore at my psyche. She felt me as clearly as I felt her, and with my strength dwindling, I was having a tough time fending the alien off.

As I neared a corner, my nose began to tickle at the cloying scent of some unidentifiable chemical. It grew stronger the further I went until it wasn't merely an itch but a deep burn. Too bad I'd lost my bio mask. I hated wearing the thing, it was stuffy and the internal mechanisms and the operating system always gave off a whisper of ozone that clouded my sense of smell. But so far, a quick check of every room yielded no mask, no spear, and no clothes... or at least nothing worth salvaging. I did, however, find the source of the chemical smell. Some poor bastard had been in the middle of doing some sort of cleanup when a xenomorph attacked. The heavy-duty solvent had spilled all over the floor. I'm not sure _what_ he'd been cleaning with a chemical capable of dissolving the bodies lying in it, but hey, the floors were pristine.

A knifing pain in my head sent me staggering around a corner. I collapsed against the wall and the brutal psychic attack abruptly stopped. She was here. Breathing hard, I tried to pick up her scent trail, but the solvent was doing a thorough job of nose blinding me.

Luckily there is some predictability when it comes to xenomorphs and their hunting techniques. So when the damn thing burst out of the air duct above me, I was ready. Sort of.

Avoiding its open toothy maw, I let gravity do its thing and dropped my ass to the floor barely staying out of the alien's reach. It sailed over me but did an impressive midair roll before landing like a cat on its feet. Echoes of agony screamed inside me as I dodged the spear end of the alien's tail. I collided with the wall. My breathing ragged.

The xeno's lips quivered as she hissed. Long strings of drool dripping from jaws packed with razor-sharp teeth. Light glinted across her obsidian carapace, and I stared at the general area where the eyes would've been if she had them.

My body tensed, recognizing the alien's attack posture. The blade scraped the floor as I readied.

The xenomorph shrieked and lunged for me. I smirked. Spittle sprayed my cheeks, the xenomorph's small inner jaws snapping only inches from my face. It gave a long spine chilling cry of rage as it was being jerked away from its prize. Kazai'sa decloaked. The huge Yautja had one hand on the back of the alien's neck and the other on its braincase. There was a grinding crunch then silence. Slumping, I closed my eyes in bliss, taking a moment to bask in the glorious quiet.

A second later the alien's body hit the floor with a thump and swish. "I had it you know." My eyes cracked open in challenge. In response, my mate adopted a very predatory posture bringing his upper body forward and down to my level. Kazai'sa didn't take the bait. He knew me too well. Knew that I would rather rile him and piss him off then let him see the pain. My eyes traced the lines of glyphs etched into the bio mask leading to the opti shields and the keen orange orbs behind them.

"What?" I said with a touch of asperity. "I could've."

Noncommittal silence followed.

"Shut up. I'm fine," I went on. Kazai'sa didn't have to say anything. He never had too. I've gotten that damn good at reading the pushy overprotective bastard.

His gaze narrowed.

Oops. My chest tightened in frustration. Right. I forgot that I was mated to natures lie detector. The roof of a Yautja's mouth is lined with chemical receptors enabling them to taste deception... seriously annoying. So he knew I was hurting and he knew I was lying about it. Go me.

I sighed, running my fingers under his jaw and mandibles. The physical contact soothed my bruised ego, and it had taken quite a beating over the last couple of days. Besides, it was hard to stay angry when Kazai'sa was being cutely attentive. Obviously, he was still mad, but this wasn't angry silence. This was guarding. Protecting.

"Did you find the cutting room?"

"Sei'i," he rumbled, gaze assessing my reaction. I hadn't bothered to ask if he found what had been taken from me. Kazai'sa was thorough. He wouldn't have left any evidence of me behind. I nodded. Not trusting my voice just yet.

Our enemies were dead, so it was over. Right? No. No, it wasn't. Not quite. There was one more thing I had to do. _But it can wait,_ I thought, my gaze softening on my mate's.

Languidly draping my arms over his shoulders, I ducked under his jaw and kissed his neck. A humming growl of approval tickled my lips, and I smirked. "Don't think this makes us even, hunter..." I exhaled the words across his pulse. And a low chuffing rattle sent shivers skating down my neck. "The chase is over. You. Caught. Me." Heedless of my tender insides, I arched into him. Sucking in a loud breath as the sizzling heat of his skin kissed my nipples through the metal mesh of his armor. "Do you remember Aswarii, hunter?" I whispered with a playful nip. "Do you remember what you did to me... after you caught me in the water..."

He seized the back of my neck, and a whine of dismay curled in my throat as he gently withdrew from me. Kazai'sa's tusks clacked in warning, and I could practically see his mandibles spreading in a silent snarl of disapproval at the piteous sound. I might be heedless of my still healing body (hey, a girl's gotta have her priorities), but apparently my mate was not willing to make the beast with two backs and risk injuring me further. And the fierce orange radiance of his irises said as much.

A gasp escaped me as Kazai'sa's other hand suddenly gripped the inside of my left thigh, slightly lifting me. A talon skimmed the lips of my sex and a shiver shot from my hips to my toes.

"Revna," he growled. "When you are once again whole..." The warm edge of his bio mask scraped my ear as he drew me back in. "You will run..."

My heart slammed into my ribcage.

"I will chase..." Kazai'sa slid me forward over his palm, sinking a digit into my slickness. "... and once I've caught you..." He needn't bother voicing the threat. Not when his relentless stroking had me crying out in the most exquisite pain I've ever been in, in all my life... both of them...

* * *

 **A/N: Whooee! *fans self* I think I gots the vapors. Lol, sorry for the wait. One more chapter and an epilogue to go and this baby will be done ;D**

 **angel897: I think its safe to assume she learned a lesson. Though at a cost she hadn't expected. Thanx for the love! :)**

 **Tenfangirl: Lol, more treats. Thanx, Tenfangirl! You've been such a constant! :)**

 **equipagan: Awe, thank you for that! You're review gave me a smile XD Lol, yeah, I'd say they're less than harmonious too but they can't seem to escape each other either ;)**

 **sousie: I feel a little bad for Kazai'sa too. Revna's a bit of a handful. Lol, but I don't think he minds XD Thanx for the love!**

 **Vakrian: Hey, Bestie! Almost done with this one! Thanx for reading it :) Lol, I think our inside joke is gonna appear in all my stories XD**

 **oober25: Awe thank you :)**

 **Akari Wolf Princess: Miss you, Akari! Hope all is well! Lol, I do enjoy tormenting you guys but this time it was not on purpose! Sorry, it took so long to update! Thanx for the love!**

 **Aeona316: Sorry it took so long to update! Lol, welcome to the craziness of this Yautja/Human romance ;D I love writing it. And I'm happy you read it! Can I Keep Him is another one of my romance stories but its complete so you won't have to wait around for updates. Thanx for the review :)**

 **Arbitrator11: Oh wow! That made me incredibly happy to read! Thanx for reading and loving my stories! Stay awesome, Arbitrator11! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Fatal Attraction**

Ever seen a sexually tense Yautja? _Hilarious._ Well, maybe not for any fool dumb enough to come within five klicks of me. Full recovery time took less than two weeks, and when I was finally ready, I may have um, escalated matters... by commandeering a vessel. What?! He did tell me to run...

...

Daybreak. The first rays burned bright, kissing my skin, and revitalizing muscles sore from a fevered chase. My mate has more stamina, he's stronger, calmer, and a much better tactician in the hunt. But I am cunning, and when there are no walls to confine me, I can move with the fleet-footed madness of a xenomorph.

But the Predator was steadily closing in. He almost had me in the gully. It was pure misfortune (on his part) that a heard of Lysodakkis charged (unprovoked, I swear!) and cut him off. The fifteen-ton pachyderms provided a twenty-foot wall of meat and muscle between me and Kazai'sa. Their thick brick red hides had the texture of tree bark, and I effortlessly scaled the riled beasts and perched on the back of one. Kazai'sa stared up at me then, his tiger orange orbs glowing and mandibles slightly splayed. There was nothing remotely playful in that vacant stare. But instead of being worried (hmm, that might've been a mistake), I was much too busy tracking the beads of sweat inching their way down the great plains of his chest to the deliciously rampant valley of his abdomen. Twisters of kicked up dust swirled around him as if nature itself had been caught in the vortex of his power. The dappled sunlight intensified the deep red of the sangria saddle pattern on the outside of his arms and legs, which emphasized the azure blue of his skin. Damn, he was pretty. My eyes returned to his, and I nearly lost it and caved into temptation when my wicked little hormones started frothing at the thought of what would happen if I did relent to the more dominant predator. Scraping up my self-control, I gave my mate a cheeky wink then slapped the rump of the Lysodakki I crouched on causing the animal to buck and trumpet in alarm. Then I leapfrogged my way through the mayhem, determined to escape the fray before Kazai'sa could.

I lost him for a time after that, though my triumphant glee was rapidly shifting to wary suspicion. It did not bode well for me that Kazai'sa had ditched all of his gear including his bio mask. When it comes to the hunt, the older the Yautja the less likely he or she is to rely on technology. And others like Kazai'sa, shed it completely unless it's absolutely necessary. But it was more than simply just his age.

Memory flickered. On a planet, not so different from this one, a chance encounter lead to a furious game that is sempiternal. Kazai'sa had said there's nowhere I could run that he could not see my light. Sounds romantic right? Well, it's not. At least not when it comes from a Yautja. Predator, remember. My mate had been referring to my six chambered heart. I'm a hybrid, so I tend to burn a little hotter. Especially in stressful situations. Like when a Yautja, a predator who naturally sees in the infrared, informs me that I'm a bloody beacon and that there is no escape for me. Huh, in a way, he's kind of stockery. Just short of putting a chip in my ass. Oh shit. Am I one of those unrealistic protagonists who falls for the creepy guy that thinks breaking into my room and watching me sleep at night is sweet?

 _Crahahahap..._ I inwardly moaned. _I so am... Oh, well. At least he doesn't sparkle right..._

My heart filled with an absurd joy that burst from my lips. The breathy laughter chimed off the rocky shore and broke with the surf.

 **Kazai'sa**

A fierce but silent snarl stretched the predator's mandibles, revealing a toothy maw slightly open as he tasted the air. The battle-scarred warrior was an experienced tracker and an efficient killer. Kazai'sa's teeth clicked together, breath hissing through them as his mind wandered to a darker time before taking Revna for himself. _Nothing tests our resolve more than the unforgiving passage of time,_ he reflected. The Yautja are long-lived, but most do not survive beyond a few centuries. Kazai'sa remembered all too well weighing his own resolve against his continued existence. He felt there were no surprises anymore. The hunt lacked excitement. And each kill did more to anger him then it did to sate his pride as a hunter. He took fewer and fewer trophies. Each victory more hollow than the last. Storming into the ranks of the Elite two centuries ago had taken the edge off the bloodlust but day by day the fury ate at his ability to think rationally until finally, he isolated himself. And had Revna not lay siege to his life on that Paya forsaken planet he'd found himself on, Kazai'sa doubted the matriarch would've allowed him to live much longer. Because a Yautja not in control of himself is a danger to the entire clan. And he knew that for this reason and this reason alone the matriarch tolerated his mate.

Kazai'sa shifted his position, the wet rock biting into his palms as he leaned forward in anticipation. He'd waited long enough. His prey was strong. But he was stronger. She was fast; so he would have to be faster. She was cunning; so he would have to outfox her. Revna was this Yautja's d'yeka; the ultimate prey. And he would never, could never tire of her.

Her boundless and wild light a brilliant gold and copper red called to the primal beast. Talons digging into rock, the predator's eyes feasted upon his prey. Waiting. Excited. Muscles taut and ready. The howling blood song coursing through his veins shook him until his whole body vibrated with its force. Never has the bloodlust reached this peek. Not even when he was a cocksure, unrefined unblood. And that had been nearly a millennium ago.

Perched at the mouth of a seaside cave, the roar of the waves was an echo of the torrent inside him. His prey was close. So so very close. He need only to hang onto his sanity until the opportune moment. And had the wind not shifted... he might have.

The spice of Revna's scent was tantamount to inhaling fire. Kazai'sa felt himself moving, dropping from his vantage point. The spray of the blue-green sea hiding his descent as he plunged into the tepid water. At this depth, he knew the hue of the water and the bed of seagrass below would camouflage his approach. Using the power of the current to his advantage, allowing it to carry him to his prey, he leaped out of the climbing wave as it hit its zenith. Surprise rippled bright orange through his prey as she looked up, unprepared for the ambush. Kazai'sa grabbed hold of his mate and crushed her to him just as the wave slammed into them. He fought it now, standing against the awesome majesty of the sea so that it could not drag them under.

Revna gasped. Spitting water at him. A low warning rattled in Kazai'sa's throat, and though he could not see the full range of her defining features without the spectrum filter of a bio mask, he could sense the arrogance in the tilt of her luminous amber lips. And then without warning, Revna sank her teeth into his chest, piercing skin and drawing blood. Kazai'sa burst apart. The predator within him, the beast who craved her, roared and over the din of the raging sea, he heard his female give an answering snarl.

He spun her around, her back to his chest. For a faint moment, he thought the shredding of fabric was the beast tearing out of his skin. Revna raked his thighs with her nails, and Kazai'sa lost his sight, blinded by the relentless blood song that always gripped him whenever he was with his mate. Driven by instinct he could no longer repress, the predator wrapped his mandibles around the nap of his mate's neck, digging his teeth into her shoulder so she would not fight him as he forced her down into the seagrass. The surf broke against his back, but he was unshakable.

Still holding her in the control bite, Kazai'sa reached between them and removed the last scrap of cloth restraining his aggressively throbbing erection and entered her fully in one deep thrust. Revna sucked in a breath, "Bastard." Kazai'sa released her neck, absently licking the trickle of blood away as he slid out only to ram himself back inside her with more force. His mate's growly moan of pleasure intensified his own. Her core bright and electric as if their coupling set her very spirit on fire. This was why the hunter refused to take his mate with a bio mask on. Every time he fucked her, Kazai'sa reveled in the way her body reacted to him.

Her wet cunt was hot and tight around him the friction overwhelming as he relentlessly stretched and forced her body to comply to his demands. But his mate was not the submissive type, and she arched her spine until she was nearly parallel with his chest, she reached for him, dug her claws into his thighs, tearing the skin, shooting glorious spirals of pain through him.

"Kazai'sa..." his mate cried out. Her walls violently spasming, crashing around him, every bit as ruthless as natures fury breaking against his back. Her juices soaked his cock and Kazai'sa slid a hand to her slick folds so that he could have a taste before the sea swept it away.

But here Kazai'sa made a mistake. He licked his mate's weaponized arousal from his fingers and lost the part of himself that separated him from the beast.

He growled, and the menacing sound deepened into something darker, something far older than even he, something that might've lived in a time before the Yautja gained their sentience. The female in his thrall stiffened; tilted her head back. Her breath coming so fast her whole body trembled. Mandibles spreading in a feral snarl, he leaned over her, dropping them both down to all fours. Their hands disappearing in the tangle of seagrass. In this position he completely eclipsed his mate, he had to arch his spine in order to rub his tusks along her ribs.

Savoring the hot glide of his flesh inside hers, the predator pulled out, the unbearable torture of separation agonizingly slow. His mate thrashed beneath him, spitting fight language at him, the heat of her cunt bright red with her need for him.

 _Mine!_ the beast roared at him.

Taking possession of what was his, the predator penetrated the core of his mate's heat, and she, in turn, took all of what was hers deep inside of her, and together they road the surging waves of their fierce need for each other into completion. And when his mate cried out, her fiery, convulsive release brought him with her.

...

 **Revna**

"We're going to drown if we lay here any longer," I mumbled. Of course, he would drown first since I was sprawled out, dead weight on top of him, but I couldn't be bothered to move so he would have to do it for me. The languid roll of the warm water soothed the ache in my... well, in my everything as it rushed over my legs and up my back to spill over my shoulders and around my mate's chest. The heavy arm resting across my back briefly tightened as if the lazy pull of the water might yank me out of its grip.

Kazai'sa yawned, his mandibles spreading wide. I lifted my head to watch, weirdly mesmerized by the movement even though I had to have seen him yawn hundreds of times. My fingers lifted to touch one of the tusks. Kazai'sa dipped his jaw to get a better look at me as I tentatively traced the rank symbols carved into the elongated incisors. It was so weird to think that days ago I'd forgotten who I was, and all of this had been a fangirl's mere fantasy. Of course, I rationalized by convincing myself that I'd had a bad trip on whatever drug Wey-Yu had pumped into me. I was me, but I definitely hadn't forgotten about being Riley either.

My mate grunted inquisitively, likely wonder where my mind had gone. I dodged his gaze, and the smooth azure expanse of Kazai'sa's powerful chest rumbled softly beneath me. Hands roughened from centuries of battle slid up my ribcage only to get lost in my thick mane. But I fought the instinctual desire to tell him everything his stare was demanding of me. What would I say anyway? For some reason telling him I think I might've been a fangirl from South Louisiana who got murdered by a guy wearing a pig's head and woke up as Revna in a hackneyed alien plot sounded a smidge bit crazy. Just a smidge. But, hey, crazy works for me. No, I was not about to tell him about my um, previous life (delusion), however, since Buddha (that cheeky bastard) had been so kind as to drop me into this cracked afterlife, then I should take full advantage.

"Hunter..." My voice dripped with mischievous intent. The sea rushed over my shoulders as I propped myself up on my elbows, spilling down my breasts and raining from my hair. Kazai'sa idly watched, and I briefly wondered how he saw me in the infrared. I knew Kazai'sa had of course fallen for my charms first, but it was strange to think he was attracted to a blob of heat. Or was there enough definition in the heat spectrum to conclusively...

 _Well, I guess that answers that question._

I buttoned my lips between my teeth, but a snorty-giggle escaped as my mate's throbbing desire prodded my ass. And here I thought all day fuckfests were reserved for those naughty minxes in erotic fiction (Ha! I'm a minx!).

"Would you like to know what I am thinking, hunter?" I asked as I slowly slid backward, rubbing my sex down the length of his torso.

Kazai'sa breathed a rattly-chuff, the frustrated sound only provoked me into being even more mischievous.

"Here," my nails followed the path of my pussy, "let me show you." Then I proceeded to inflict upon him, in great detail, every fangirls' unholy, gloriously dirty fantasy ever written, including Rileys...

* * *

 **Epilogue**

 _This... this is it?_

I blew out a breath. Right. As if anything would be left standing after a couple of centuries, dozens of lifetimes, and a xenomorph infestation. Hell, not even the swamp had survived.

After Kazai'sa and I got thoroughly reacquainted, I'd returned to Earth spending the better part of a week in the devil's armpit searching for... something. Although what said something was, I couldn't even fathom. Confirmation I guess. Assuming Riley hadn't been some weird personality split or defense mechanism my brain concocted while in Wey-Yu's tender care then I owed it to her to find out. Riley had had to die in order for me to live. Those scientists sure as shit seemed surprised when I woke up after they'd tore me apart. Moreover, Riley may have hated life, but she'd been a cool person and she deserved to have someone remember her.

I eyed the area where I thought Riley's game shop might've stood, though if it ever had been here, it was long gone. Nothing remained. Even the bones of the oldest buildings were little more than dust now.

I walked a circle. And then another. And then another.

A snarl twisted my lips as I jerked a frustrated hand through the untamable black ringlets of my hair.

"Thi _sss_ world is dead, Revna." Kazai'sa, who'd been silently observing my slow descent into insanity, intoned as he appeared beside me. "What ha _sss_ brought you 'ere?"

My lips pursed in thought. I knew I was acting strangely. Well, stranger than the norm anyway. Apparently, Riley's presence, no matter how it came about, had in some way altered my behavior. She'd changed me for the better. I no longer hid my insecurities behind the pretense of a game. Riley had never given a shit about what people thought of her. Never felt driven to validate herself over and over again. And now, neither did I.

"Dead, ah..." I murmured. He was right. There was nothing to find. My being able to turn oxygen into carbon dioxide would have to be enough.

I brushed my knuckles down the length of Kazai'sa's warm arm.

 _Still real._

And in the end, that's all that mattered...

* * *

 **A/N:** **Thanks for reading A Fangirl's Crack'd Afterlife. This was always meant to be a short story, however, the prequel: Ambitions Curse is up! Okay, I know someone's gonna comment about this so lemme just say yes, I know I manipulated the heat spectrum a bit, but I did it to fit the story. And yes, I know I make a lot of jabs at Twilight *snickers*. Lol, and oh my god, I've never written a sex scene in the third person so please be gentle ;) Anyway, thanx for the love and all those reviews.**

 **Tenfangirl: Lol, so did this chapter warm you up too? ;D And thanx for the compliment! Stay awesome, Tenfangirl! P.S. I haven't forgotten about Danny's story. I'm just a tad bit hung up at the moment.**

 **Vakrian: If we ever run out of strawberry tarts then we know who to blame, yes? Quit stuffing your face, idjit! Lol, not sure if I'm gonna write a prequel or a sequel, but I'll keep it in mind. Thanx for the love, Besty! :)**

 **angel897: Thanx, angel, for all the support! :)**

 **KTCameleon: Thanx, KT! :D**

 **Gemini's Revenge: Awe, thank you! Lol, I feel your frustration. Hopefully, I've cured it with the update ;)**

 **sousie: I know! Lol, thanx! :D**

 **High priestess Anavi: Ah, I sorry. It was always supposed to be a short story. But I am considering either writing a prequel or a sequel. This couple also appears a bit in BadBlood Bromance. Thank you so much for the love! :)**

 **mel: No prob! Thanks for reading! :D**

 **Akari Wolf Princess: Hi, Akari! I missed you too! Thanks so much for the love! :D**


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